Friday, June 10, 2011

Pork Chops w/Scratched Potatoes AND my 2 Month Blog Anniversary :o)

Pork Chops & Scratched Potatoes

You know what they say, "Time flies when you are having fun...", well today is my 2 months anniversary since I started my blog.  It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone, it's seems like I've been doing this much longer!  It could be because I did start posting my food photos about a year and a half ago on Facebook.  I had registered on Blogger about 5 months ago, but never did anything with the blog. Then 2 months ago I couldn't sleep and was tossing and turning and thinking that maybe I really should start the blog.  I got up at 3 am and went on my Facebook account and I saw that one of my friends "liked" about 20 of my food photos at once and that is why I made my final decision to start the blog (thanks Blair!!).


I think I've improved my blog tons since I first started.  Especially my photos!  The first person I showed my blog to was my brother since he likes my food and is into photography.  His comment was "You need better photos and don't do a half assed job!"...lol..I was very offended then, but now I completely I understand what he was talking about. Criticism is hard to receive most times, but it can be helpful at times:o)  You really do need a thick skin when writing a food blog since there is so much competition out there.  My thorn is Tastespotting & Foodgawker, they are such great sites, but I have such a love/hate relationship with them.  I think the people that have submitted know exactly what I'm talking about;o)  I'm so happy when I get accepted, but so miffed when I get rejected.  After the rejections I start mumbling and yelling at the computer and Hubby thinks I'm bonkers.  He just nods his head and smiles and acts like he agrees with me...lol  He's been the best with supporting me and my blog.  He still helps me a lot with taking photos and is not peeved even when the food is half cold by the time we sit down to eat it some nights!  

The upside of the foodie blogging world is that there are so many nice people out there!  I've already made some good friends from all over the world.  Everyone is so supportive of each other.  I've heard that their are some catty people out there, but fortunately, I  have not run across anybody like that yet.  Thank you, to all the super sweet people I've met so far!!


Pork Chops

I mentioned in my Roast Chicken post that I've been "dry brining" lately and is what I did with these pork chops.  I think with pork I need to stick with the wet brine.  They tasted good, but I think they would have been more tender if I had brined them in salt water.  I scored the fat, so the chops wouldn't curl up during the cooking process.

Scratching Yukon Gold Potatoes...

My hairdresser loves eating and cooking ALMOST as much as I do.  I think we spend half the time discussing dishes that we've made.  He is really great at baking which I am not and makes the best cookies during Christmas time.  I got the idea of "scratching" the potatoes from him.  He said that he learned this from an English friend of his.  I don't remember exactly how he said it was done, so I improvised...thanks, Mark!!  

I boiled the potatoes with the skin on for about 20 mins until I could easily poke a chopstick in it.  I didn't want to cook it too much because I'd be roasting them too.  After taking them out of the water I peeled them, cut them in half and then scratched them with a fork.  I then seasoned them and rubbed with olive oil and then roasted them for about 40 mins @400 degees in the toaster oven.  The scratching helps them to get crisper and more flavorful.  This is even better when you roast them with a chicken and you get all the luscious flavors from that!

Searing in Cast Iron Skillet...

I seared the pork chops in a hot skillet for a few minutes on each side...

Nicely Browned...

After turning the chops over, I seared the other side until it was browned then put the whole skillet in a 450 degree oven until the chops reached 135 degrees.  I then covered with foil and let it rest.

Scratched Potatoes

Ready!



33 comments:

  1. You've only been blogging for 2 months! Wow! It's nice to know others are just starting out. The scratched potatoes look good,I am going to have to try that too. I just had pork chops last night too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kayo, Happy 2 months Anniversary! It's hard to believe you've been doing this for 2 months! I just learned "scratched potatoes" and I'm going to try next time. I love crispy potatoes! Your pork chop looks gigantic (or just look that way in the first/last picture?)! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow this meal looks amazing! Your photos are beautiful too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh great meal! And Happy 2 month Anniversary! I am right around the corner from mine. Your pictures are amazing - wish I had made that much progress with mine in the last 2 months!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy anniversary to your blog!!! LOL at your brother's helpful advice...sounds just like a sibling! Great potatoes...my family would love them :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ohhh Happy 2 months blogoversery!!! I wish you many many years!:)) Your pork and potatoes LOOK SO DELICIOUS!!! I really love your photos!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations on your blog anniversary! May you be blessed with many more! I love the ide of scoring the potatoes - make sure to tell Mark we all say thanks oodles.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, Lindsey! We all have to start somewhere right:-)

    Nami, the pork chops were pretty big...about 3/4 lbs each:-). I always love leftovers!

    Thank you so much, Happy.!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Erin, thank you and Happy Anniversary to you too soon:-). Your blog looks pretty good too!!

    Thanks Lizzy! Yes, the sibling thing, but with my bro I think it may be more of an Asian thing...harsh;-). Hope you do try the potatoes!

    Thanks for the sweet compliment, Sandra. Congrats on your new domain:-)

    Jen, thank you and I told Mark how much I appreciated his inspiration:-). I'll let him know about your shout out to him too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Kay! Congratulations on your blog's 2nd mth Anniversary! :D
    Your pork chop looks yummy! Crispy potatoes... YUM!!! Great shots in this post! ^.^
    I think I should have someone to criticize on mine to trigger me too! (sometimes I really do feel so embarrassed with my photos in my blog as compared to all of you) LOL xD

    ReplyDelete
  11. Skimming through the headline, I was just going to say how amazing your blog looks like for just 2 months. Then it's been explained. I can relate to how pro your photos are, and the posts shows the comfort cook that you are. Hope you'll enjoy blogging more and more!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Happy 2 month blogiversary! For a "newbie", I think you're rocking it! Your pics are great and I like your friendly tone:)
    As for the pork chops, being a pork lover, but having grown up in a kosher home, I missed out on a lot of dishes like this growing up and still making up for lost time nowadays!
    ps. nice to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy anniversary! Food looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congrats on reaching a milestone! At this rate, just think how great your blog (and your photos) will be by the time you reach one year. Tastespotting won't know what hit it. :)
    That scratched potato idea is genius. One of my favourite things about roast potatoes is all the crispy bits on the surface... so anything that gives me extra crispy bits is a bonus. Will have to throw some into the pan next time I'm making a roast chicken!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I was wondering what you meant with 'scratched' potatoes but then I saw the photos and understood what you meant directly, you literally really meant 'scratched potatoes' :). I love the idea and the meal looks fantastic! Happy 2 month Blog anniversary :)!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks, Lyn and you have a very cute blog :o) I don't know if you really want criticism...lol

    Thanks, Pierre! I think I will stick with blogging for a while;o) Thanks for the encouragement!!

    Ethan, your words really mean a lot to me since you have such an awesome blog!! You really do have a lot of catching up with pork! What does your family think now that you eat it? Great meeting you too, looking forward to seeing more of your posts:o)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you, Christine:o)

    CG, yeah, the term scratched potatoes is funny, but I didn't know what else to call it...lol forked potatoes..lol Thanks bunch!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks, Isabelle, love your kind words to me :o) Well, FG accepted this post, but I think TS is hating me lately and they rejected..oh well;o) Hope you do try the potatoes, they really are great with roast chicken!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Kay! I may need some to do even better! LOL :P
    Enjoy your weekend! ^.^

    ReplyDelete
  20. Your photos are beautiful! Congratulations - if you're having fun, then you are doing the right thing!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Congrats on fbuzz top 9!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi Kay! Congrats on this recipe's 4th place in Foodbuzz top 9! :D

    ReplyDelete
  23. This post made me hungry!! Congrats on Top 9... well deserved!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Congratulations - keep the good food coming my way!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lyn, thanks, you are too funny! Hope that you guys had a nice weekend too!

    Thanks, Sandra, I finally joined the club;o)

    Thank you so much, Kate!!

    kays hubby....I will <3

    ReplyDelete
  26. Belinda, thanks! Aren't we all having fun as food bloggers;o)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Congrats - your blog is beautiful, can't believe you're only been blogging for 2 months!

    ReplyDelete
  28. You're most welcome Kay! :D
    Seriously I do need some so that I can qualify for fbuzz too! LOL
    p.s I'm still finding the chance to cook chicken rice asap :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wow this meal looks yummmmmm.....ur snaps r also good, especially like scratched potato must try.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thanks for the sweet comment, Jeanette :o)

    Lyn, take your time with Chicken Rice:o) You are always way too funny!

    Daksha, thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Congrats on you blogaversary!! Cheers :) Your pork chops looks perfect. My husband is a big fan and would love yours.

    ReplyDelete